Drone Bombs and Gun Battles Engulf Rio das Pedras

Overview

• Fierce clashes between the Comando Vermelho and local milícias have continued for about 12 days, with residents reporting frequent daytime and nighttime exchanges of heavy gunfire that can be heard as far as neighboring Barra da Tijuca.
• Investigators say a turning point came when nine paramilitaries defected to the CV on June 18, a move that security sources link to a rapid increase in attacks and attempts to seize milícia territory.
• On June 24, residents and probes report a drone was used to drop an explosive device on a house in the Areal sector of Rio das Pedras, marking a notable escalation in tactics and risk to civilians.
• The Military Police have reinforced operations, carried out sweeps and seized weapons including rifles, pistols and grenades, as Draco investigators probe reported cooperation between milícias and the Terceiro Comando Puro in some areas.
• Rio das Pedras is strategically valuable and lucrative for milícias—police estimate about R$2 million monthly from extortion and illicit services—so the conflict threatens long-term local governance, daily life for thousands of residents, and the wider security of adjacent neighborhoods until the state's reoccupation plan is homologated.